News Updates

News & Events

Students take part in annual March for Life

Liberty University had a strong presence at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Monday with about 70 students participating.

March for Life is a non-profit, non-partisan pro-life organization that annually sponsors a march to raise awareness of political issues concerning abortion and rights of the unborn.

The first March for Life was held in 1974 with 20,000 participants. In recent years, the number of participants has been about 200,000. Liberty has been involved in the march since the 1980s.

“Taking a stand in defense of the unborn is one of the hallmarks of Liberty University,” said Director of Commuter Affairs Larry Provost. “We are unashamedly in favor of those whom Jesus called ‘the least of these.’ This is my first year helping to lead the trip and it’s a real honor to do so because of these special students who have such a big heart for this issue.”

The march is traditionally held on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision (Jan. 22), however this year the anniversary fell on a weekend. Since many political leaders are away from the nation’s capital on weekends, the march was scheduled for Monday in hopes of achieving a greater impact.

Liberty made it convenient for students to attend by providing free bus transportation.

Josiah Raiche, university coordinator for the Liberty chapter of ROSE (Reclaiming Others’ Sacred Existence), said he used to be unsure of his stance on life issues until he heard testimonies of women who have had abortions and saw presentations such as the Genocide Awareness Project. He now believes that as Christians, college students have a responsibility to be actively involved in the pro-life movement.

“Going to the March for Life with hundreds of thousands of people from across the country is a great way to get involved in the community of pro-life groups and demonstrate to our nation's leaders that young people across the country are serious about life issues,” said Raiche.

In addition to Liberty students taking part in the march, the Sounds of Liberty ministry team provided musical entertainment at the 29th annual Rose Dinner, which finished off three days of pro-life activities in Washington, D.C.